NATIONAL SERVICEMEN S ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA National President s Bulletin September 2017 THE NSAA NATIONAL COUNCIL MEETS IN CANBERRA These are the men who manage your Association. The Council, which represents all States and Territories plus the Officer Training Unit Scheyville, meets twice a year. They are, left to right, Frank Miller OTU, Mike Lane NT, Ron Brandy (Maj.Retd)Vice President. Garry Hand ACT, Senator Fawcett, Bill Dabner TAS, E. Jennings AM RFD ED (Major Ret.d)President, Carl Adams Treasurer, Allen Callaghan Media Officer, Neville Pulford TAS, Bob McIvor VIC, Ted Eastman VIC, Barry O Keefe NSW, Keith Prideaux SA, John Thorne SA, Noel Moulder Secretary, Stuart Fairbain WA, Colin Shapland NSW, Neal Freier QLD, John King President ACT RSL, John Faunt ACT, Tony Stevenson QLD, One meeting is always in Canberra and includes the Observance at the National Service Memorial at the Australian War Memorial. For the first time since the dedication ceremony on 8 September 2010 the Service was moved inside because of strong, cold winds. The Minister for Defence, Senator the Honorable Marise Payne, was to have given the Address but had to fly to the Philippines to offer Australia s assistance in the fight against attempts by Isil to establish a terrorist Muslim caliphate in the south of the country. She was represented by Senator David Fawcett, Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. Senator Fawcett, standing on the right of our National President, Earle Jennings, was an Army Aviation Pilot Officer culminating in his final appointment as Commanding Officer, responsible for flight test programs for all of the Australian Defence Force aircraft. He reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before leaving the ADF to enter politics. 1
In his Address, Senator Fawcett paid tribute to those who had served Australia as National Servicemen and had earned high praise from all in the Defence community. NATIONAL EXECUTIVE In between Council meetings the National Executive keeps the Association running. From left to right: National Vice President Ron Brandy (Major Ret.d) ; National Treasurer, Carl Adams; National President Earle Jennings AM RFD ED (Major Ret.d); National Media Officer Allen Callaghan and National Secretary, Noel Moulder. BARRY VICARY FELLOWSHIP South Wales Branch after the former State Executive was expelled for bringing the Association into disrepute. Due to Norm s illness, it was received on his behalf by Robert Brown, the current President of the Southern Highlands Branch of the NSAA. The Citation outlines that Norm was called up in 1968 and was sent to Singleton for his recruit training. He was posted to the Headquarters Company at the Royal Military College Duntroon. Norm was a foundation member of the NSW Branch which then promoted the formation of subbranches throughout the State. He was a foundation member of the Southern Highlands Sub-Branch and served as its Secretary and President. Until Norm s recent serious illness he was heavily involved in the work of the Association on both the State and National levels. The National President, Earle Jennings, presenting the Fellowship,described Norm as a credit to the Association and to the community. THE WHITE CARD The NSAA s highest award is the Barry Vicary Fellowship, which commemorates our Founder in Toowoomba in 1987. It is awarded for continued outstanding service to National Servicemen and the Association. In Canberra, the National President, Earle Jennings, announced the award to Norm Mallard (above) who has been the driving force for the continuation of the New The Minister for Veteran Affairs, the Hon.Dan Teehan MP, has outlined the issue of white health cards to all veterans. Mr.Teehan was opening the NSAA s National Council meeting in Canberra one of a long line of Ministers holding his portfolio to do so. He also detailed the new policy that veterans digitised records would go to the Department of Veterans Affairs on discharge so that they could be informed of their entitlements immediately. 2
The Department of Veterans Affairs provided this detailed outline of the new arrangements to the Council:. Whether all veterans will be entitled to the white card All current and former members with at least one day s continuous full time service are eligible for treatment of any mental health condition through nonliability health care (NLHC) arrangements. The condition does not have to be related to service and a diagnosis is not required. This treatment is delivered through the DVA Health Card- Specific Conditions (White Card). White Cards are also issued to veterans for other specific service-related conditions through normal liability claiming arrangements. 2. Veterans with active service are entitled to the gold card All veterans with qualifying service (ie. have served in a war or conflict) are automatically eligible for a DVA Health Card- All Conditions (Gold Card) at 70 years of age. Veterans with a high level of disability as a result of service are also eligible for the Gold Card. In addition, the 2017-18 Budget extended Gold Card eligibility to ADF members who served with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force and Australians who participated in the British Nuclear Tests. 3. Is the white card general issue or does it have to be applied for Where a claim for liability is lodged and accepted by DVA for a war or service caused injury or disease, a White Card will be automatically issued. Individuals who apply for non-liability health care for mental health support will be issued with a White Card to access treatment. An applicant may need to provide proof of identity. For more information, please refer to the Factsheet HSV109- Non-Liability Health Care: www.dva.gov.au/factsheet-hsv109- non-liability-health-care. 4. If it has to be applied for is it for all conditions or a specified condition A White Card issued following DVA acceptance of liability will provide treatment for specific condition(s). Where an individual has a high level of disability relating to their service, or otherwise automatically qualifies for a Gold Card, it can be used for the treatment of all conditions. White Cards issued under NLHC provide access to mental health treatment. 5. Does the issue depend on certification about a condition or conditions from a medical practitioner, welfare officer or similar person recognised by the Department of Veterans Affairs For NLHC mental health treatment, a diagnosis is not required. For treatment of cancer and pulmonary tuberculosis for eligible veterans under NLHC, a diagnosis by an appropriately qualified health professional is required, but may be made by a person s treating medical practitioner. For other conditions claimed as related to ADF service, a diagnosis from a medical practitioner is required to support the claim before liability can be accepted and a White Card issued. 3
6. Also you mentioned as did the Minister that records were being consolidated and digitised. Does that apply to all veterans or from a particular starting point. For example, there are 287,000 records just for National Servicemen from the 1951 to 1972 No new paper files have been created within DVA since November 2016. Only files in use are being digitised (ie. all active files are scanned as they are requested). THE SHADOW MINISTER The Executive also called on the Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs, the Honourable Amanda Rishworth MP, at Parliament House. Ms Rishworth s other Shadow portfolio is Defence Personnel. She was elected for the ALP in the seat of Kingston, in South Australia in 2007. Her other Parliamentary positions have included Assistant Shadow Minister for Education. The meeting discussed issues affecting veterans in general and those that apply to National Servicemen as a result of their compulsory service. The Executive stressed that the Association and National Servicemen had been well received and well treated by Ministers for Veterans Affairs from both sides of the House. The National Council conveyed to both the Minister and the Shadow Minister its confidence in the Department of Veterans Affairs and in its Secretary, Simon Lewis. The Executive had called on him earlier in the day. NATIONAL SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION As President of the National Service Scholarship Foundation (NSSF) it is my privilege to provide you this brief overview of the Foundation, its aims, aspirations and most recent developments. Ron Brandy August 2017 Background National Service in the modern context was the compulsory conscription of eligible males into military service in the middle years of the last century in the periods 1951 to 1959 and 1965 to 1972. Those who served in that time were proudly known as Nashos. In the period 1951 to 1972 some 286,000 National Servicemen served the nation. Many served on operations and were engaged in armed conflicts in Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam. To preserve and honour the memory of National Service, we have created a Scholarship Foundation as a charitable entity registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for- 4
Profits Commission (ACNC) with Deductable Gift Recipient (DGR) status. This document explains the concept of Sustaining the Nasho Spirit - A Living Memorial and highlights our progress in establishing the Foundation. The Foundation is a Living Memorial to National Service and recognises all who served in order that we leave a lasting and sustainable benefit that enhances the wellbeing of the nation. Our Purpose The purpose of this Foundation is to fund scholarships as a direct contribution towards the advancement of the wellbeing of the nation. These scholarships will be awarded to selected individuals or groups for targeted medical, nursing, dental and or allied health further education, research, or enhanced skills training. By supporting the Foundation, you are contributing to the further education and skills development of those already committed to the wellbeing of the nation. Our Method The National Service Scholarship Foundation (NSSF) has adopted a Scholarship Award model that includes two key attributes. o The NSSF will deal directly with research and learning institutions who have already identified individuals and projects in need of funding. This method removes the time/cost burden required to call for scholarship applications, assessment and matching. o Scholarships may be funded in full or in part by the NSSF, partnering with the relevant institution. Current Situation Through generous donations from the National Serviceman s Association of Australia and the Geelong Connected Communities fund, the Foundation has developed a comprehensive web site which will be launched in December 2017. What can you do to assist? The Board would be delighted to hear from individuals and organisations willing to support or gain further information on the Foundation s initiatives. Conclusion By supporting the Foundation, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are contributing to the further education and skills development of 5
those already committed to the wellbeing of the nation and that the enhanced learning and skills developed will be of benefit to our society. In providing this background information, it is hoped you, your family and or your organisation will support the National Service Scholarship Foundation. I commend the National Service Scholarship Foundation Living Memorial to you, recognising that you can help us make a real difference to the wellbeing of the nation and have the satisfaction of honouring those who gave their Service to the Nation. Thank you for taking the time to read this document and to consider your ability to contribute. Ron Brandy President National Service Scholarship Foundation We would welcome the names of the two delegates marked with? THE WELLS OF BEERSHEBA October 31 marks the centenary of the last great cavalry charge in history. On this day, 4000 years of partnership in war between man and horse ended. Fittingly, it was Australian and New Zealand Light Horse who wrote themselves into history when they faced massed fire from Turkish riflemen, machine guns, artillery and even two enemy biplanes to capture the water wells at Beersheba. The 800 men of the Light Horse had to charge across 6km of open ground before dismounting to challenge the Turks in hand to hand combat. A second group jumped the trenches and swept into the town to capture the wells before the Turks and their German advisers could blow them up. Speaking of history, this is the National Council from 2002. To illustrate the value of naming people in photos, we have several in this one we can t identify. From left to right, the back row is Brian Pragnall W.A., Allen Callaghan Qld, Barry Presgrave SA., Brian Roberts S.A. Ron Brown NSW,?, Bill Dabner Tas,?. Front Row: (?), Alex Garlin Qld, Colin Bell Qld, Earle Jennings Qld; Mark Cash Qld; Vern Delaney Vic. A total of 35 Light Horsemen were killed and 36 wounded in the charge. More than 1,000 Turks many of whom fought to the last man, were killed or wounded. The Federal Government is making grants available to ESO s and other community groups for observances of the Armistice Centenary. Each member of the Federal Parliament has been allocated funds that can be applied for. 6